Hello, book lovers! Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. If heart-shaped chocolates and flowers don’t make you swoon, then perhaps this week’s bouquet of literary goodies will set your heart aflutter. For you romance fans, top authors have real-life insight on what makes a couple compatible. For you film and TV buffs, there are a ton of exciting adaptations in the works — and even more that industry professionals are hoping to see in the future. But, without further ado, enjoy this mix of stories from the book world.

Meet the Cast of The Color Purple Remake: Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black) and Golden Globe-winner Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures) will star as Sofia and Shug Avery, respectively. Also, Autostraddle speculates about the forthcoming adaptation’s portrayal of Black queerness. — Essence

Willow Smith Announces Debut Novel, The Black Shield Maiden: The historical epic, co-written by Jess Hendel, follows an Ghanaian warrior abducted from her homeland and brought north to lands ruled by Vikings. — POPSUGAR

Scholars and Computer Programmers Finally Decode Charles Dickens: After trying to decipher a one-page coded message for more than a century, they’ve cracked the author’s mysterious series of dots and scribbles! (Read J.C. Briggs’ essay on Dickens’s inner detective!) — The New York Times

Black Writers Who Literary Leaders Want to See Adapted for Screen: With the excitement surrounding FX’s forthcoming adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred, critics, authors and literary professionals weigh in on which titles they want adapted next. — NPR

More Screen Adaptations That Should Be on Your Radar: Take a first look at Hulu’s 12-episode adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends (Vanity Fair) and, if you’re more of a fantasy fan, Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series (IGN). Plus, Gossip Girl writer Felicia D. Henderson will adapt Tracy Deonn’s hit YA fantasy novel Legendborn, and Anthony Horowitz shares his thoughts on PBS/BritBox’s upcoming adaptation of Magpie Murders (Deadline).

New Complete Companion to Peaky Blinders Takes the TV Drama to an All-Time High: Brush up on all things Peaky before the next season drops with this ultimate guide from BBC One. — BookTrib

Awards and Accolades Worthy of Note: Nadifa Mohamed’s The Fortune Men and Sarah Winman’s Still Life make the 2022 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction longlist; AAAS and Subaru announce 2022 winners of the SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books; “Hellish Takeout” by Jack Hawkins wins the 2022 Dell Award (Locus); 2022 finalists for the Lionel Gelber Prize were announced via Twitter; and Lily King, J. Robert Lennon and Brandon Taylor are this year’s Story Prize finalists (LitHub).

Favorite Romance Authors Share the Genre’s Lessons on Chemistry and Attraction: Talia Hibbert (Act Your Age, Eve Brown), Casey McQuiston (One Last Stop), Emily Henry (Beach Read) and Sarah MacLean (Bombshell) explore what makes two people a good match. — Vox

Murder Is This Artist’s Signature Fragrance: Base Notes welcomes readers into the high society of perfume, and in her interview with The Big Thrill, author Lara Elena Donnelly offers an intimate glance at the novel’s darkly intriguing protagonist. — BookTrib

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